Sunday, January 13, 2013

The World is My Classroom, Part 2


As I sit at my desk amidst the mess of my clothes, books, and art supplies, anticipation rises for tomorrow, when my college classes resume. I attend Northwestern College in Minnesota, where I am in my second year of studying art and animation.

In this previous post from 2010, I gave my reasons for not going to college, and what that meant for my education. But since I’ve now been in college for a year and a half, I’ve decided that it’s time to add to the record of my unusual educational journey.

I loved growing up homeschooled, and my “2 years off” after high school were packed with even more fantastic learning opportunites. I attended the Florida Christian Writers Conference, wrote two more novels and started a couple of screenplays, practiced my drawing, studied story structure, read voraciously, took over ten thousand photos, earned some money, performed a piano solo at the State Fair, and dissected my favorite movie plots.

However, despite all of this, I eventually realized that God had something more in store for me. (Isn’t that a common theme?)

Some of the reasons I finally decided to go to college:

-I finally figured out what career path I wanted to pursue (pre-production for animated films), and I needed to learn and improve my skills a lot before I was ready for it. I know there are a lot of great online schools out there, but a traditional college seemed like the best environment for me.

-I began to feel lonely spending all day at home, since everyone in my family either worked during the day or went to school themselves. Despite my severe introverted tendencies, I wanted to be a part of a community that fosters faith, learning, and fellowship.

-College can be a fantastic place to make important connections, find opportunities and new experiences, and become a well-rounded human being. At home I was so wrapped up in my own little world, and I wanted to break out of my self-inflicted shell of comfort.

-I felt like God wanted me to go to college for his own reasons. He’s omnicient, so of course he’d know what’s best for my life. I decided to trust him and go.

-Last, but not least, I was intensely curious about the whole thing.

I looked at several colleges, and after praying a lot about it, I found myself here.


Many of my peers have a like-minded passion for learning, which is both exciting and inspiring for me. Some, however, simply float through college and aren't even sure what it means to learn. I try to enjoy every day (even the challenges), and embrace each door that God places before me in my path to knowing more about Him and His incredible creation. 

4 comments:

William Jackson said...

Great! Happy New Semester! :)

Nana Kafka said...

Hope you enjoy your time at college!
Reading this feels a bit strange, as I went through many of the same feelings and thoughts with regard to college. Taking time off was exciting, but being back in education is both invigorating and inspiring.

I wish you the best on your adventure!

Rachel Danielle said...

I miss your blog, haven't been here in so long! I have also started college, and I can so relate. I just sent up a prayer for you! Keep up the beautiful heart and determination to see the world as your classroom, and you'll never tire of the adventure of learning and growing!

Galadriel said...

Hey, this is just to let you know that my blog (s)you follow, The Wordsmith's Shelf and Quasars and Feathers have moved to Tell Me a Story, Raggedy Man at ofquasarsandfeathers.blogspot.com.